Controversy Erupts Over Ruling for 야 Party Leadership Race... "Youth and Honam Representation Far Too Low"

Criticism of Regional and Age Bias in Party Member Polls
Assemblyman Hwang Bo-seung-hee Demands Party Meeting... "Let's Discuss at Least the Final Primary Rules"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Naju-seok] As the People Power Party's leadership cut-off is underway, concerns have been raised regarding the polling methods. In particular, the party member polls, which account for 50% of the cut-off polls, have been criticized for allocating an extremely small proportion to the Honam region and the youth demographic. Within the People Power Party, voices have emerged calling for holding a party meeting to at least revise the main election rules.

On the 26th, People Power Party lawmaker Yoo Kyung-jun raised the issue via social media, stating, "Looking into the polling methods, I felt really frustrated and decided to write a few words." He pointed out, "Out of the 1,000 party members surveyed, only 0.8%, that is, 8 people, were allocated to the Honam region," adding, "Seoul metropolitan area 29.6%, Daegu/Gyeongbuk 30%, Busan/Ulsan/Gyeongnam 30.7%, Chungcheong area 10.1%, Gangwon/Jeju 4.2%, Honam area 0.8%." He criticized, "No matter how much it is based on the proportional allocation of party members by region, 8 out of 1,000 is too little, isn't it?"

He continued, "Even if the proportion of party members in the Honam region is small, if our party aims to grow into a nationwide party and become a ruling party, a minimum basic allocation of 5 to 10% should have been applied first, followed by proportional allocation based on party members."

However, he added, "The Election Commission received several objections regarding this and raised this ratio to 2% at the final cut-off implementation rules meeting held yesterday."

He also raised concerns about the age-based allocation in the party member age survey. Yoo said, "They divided the groups into three: ‘under 40’ (27.4%), ‘50s’ (30.6%), and ‘60 and above’ (42%)," pointing out, "According to this ratio, there is no share for the youth." He explained, "While ‘under 40’ might be considered the youth share, considering the low response rate of people in their 20s and 30s, the structure effectively represents only the voices of those aged 40 and above." He added, "If the youth party members are few, they should have been valued more and given a separate minimum basic allocation."

He also criticized the fact that the general survey was conducted only among People Power Party supporters. He said, "The difference between party member and general public polls was intended to narrow the gap between party sentiment and public sentiment," and questioned, "What meaning does it have if we do not listen to the voices of people who do not support our party?"

Yoo warned, "Those who play with numbers will be ruined by numbers," and stated, "If anyone intentionally conspired or passively agreed to these numbers behind closed doors this time, they must take responsibility for the consequences of alienating public sentiment."

Meanwhile, People Power Party lawmaker Hwang Bo-seung-hee has called for convening a party meeting regarding this issue. Hwang said, "We need to address problems related to the main election rules," mentioning, "There are voices pointing out issues with including a reverse selection prevention clause in the main election polls and the reflection ratios by generation." He added, "If there are reasonable grounds, the Election Commission and others should review these."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.